Bringing playfulness to disabilities

This article presents the design case of a robot companion targeted at children who are prevented from playing normally, due to cognitive, developmental or physical impairments. The robot design presents some distinctive qualities. From an instrumental viewpoint it reflects inclusiveness and social exchange. It enables inclusive play activities that promote confidence and self-esteem. All children blossom as children with different abilities, including "fully able" children, collaboratively achieve success, in games that are fun for all. A specific effort in the design was spent in creating consistency between the form, visual qualities, and the behaviours of the robot, in order to enable play scenarios that were specifically targeted at autistic, mild cognitively-impaired and severely motor-impaired children.